Updates from our clinical networks

Brain Injury Rehabilitation virtual education sessions started in August. The current sessions have been focused on working with Aboriginal people and families in the NSW Brain Injury Rehabilitation Programs.

Rick Shipp, an Aboriginal Team Leader from the Southern NSW Local Health District and Jenni Johnson, Associate Director, Trauma Pain and Rehabilitation, presented the My rehab, my journey – Gadjigadji project to clinicians. A follow-up workshop was held in September to work through the project’s service audit tool. A final session explored engagement with local Aboriginal people around the NSW mid north coast providing examples of successful ways of working.

Feedback has been positive, with clinicians reporting a greater understanding and importance of yarning when interacting with Aboriginal people using brain injury rehabilitation services.

More about the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Network

A new module has been added to the Electrocardiogram (ECG) training modules, available on My Health Learning. Module 3 focuses on Commonly Occurring Complex Rhythms and 12 Lead ECG Abnormalities (course code 387120796).

A fourth training module is also in development. Each module in the series supports clinicians develop skills where ECG interpretation is a core skill.

More information on the series is available in the August issue of Clinician Connect.

More about the Cardiac Network

Cultural responsiveness training for high-risk foot workforce

• This training provides strategies to strengthen the capabilities of individuals, organisations and systems that are responsible for providing culturally safe and responsive care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Stage one of the training involved 26 participants from eight local health districts (LHDs) and specialty health networks (SHNs).
• More training will be offered throughout the 2021/22 financial year.

Patient Education Resource Library (PERL)

• The PERL is a virtual platform providing diabetes clinicians with a library of evidence-based diabetes education resources that can be sent to their patients via email or SMS.
• The platform has been implemented in 10 LHDs and SHNs with 88 registered licence users.
• Services impacted by limited face-to-face consultations, COVID travel restrictions and rural or regional locations have found PERL very beneficial for education with patients.

New resources

• A new Diabetes Related Foot Care Pathway and companion document provides guidance on how to support and manage the escalation of rapid, early-care for people diagnosed with (or at risk of) active foot disease or diabetes foot disease. It is a useful tool designed for the primary care workforce. It includes links to key resources to support the triage, assessment, referral and treatment pathway during COVID-19 and beyond.
• The Using virtual care to support high risk foot services guide has been published.

Other activities

• The network continues to collaborate with clinicians across NSW and support diabetes services as they respond to COVID-19 via the Diabetes Community of Practice. Join the community of practice by emailing ACI-Diabetes@health.nsw.gov.au
• The network continues to contribute to the Diabetes in Community for Aboriginal People project, aiming to improve care for Aboriginal people living with type 2 diabetes:
  • The project team has partnered with seven LHDs to understand lived experiences of diabetes.
  • 300 Aboriginal people and health workers shared their experiences living with, or providing care for, people with diabetes.
  • The project team is preparing reports for each region and will design solutions that address issues and promote innovation.

More about the Diabetes and Endocrine Network

• The revised Central venous access devices (CVAD): Clinical practice guide has been published.
• The revised Care of adult patients in acute care facilities with a tracheostomy: Clinical practice guide has been published.
• A video celebrating the achievements and challenges of the ICU Exit Block Project is available to watch on the Intensive Care NSW website.

Learn more and contact Intensive Care NSW.

• In a collaborative effort, the COVID-19 Respiratory and Rehabilitation Communities of Practice have developed the Management of adults with COVID-19 in the post-acute phase model of care.
• The model of care was informed by the Post-acute and subacute COVID-19 care evidence check from the NSW Health Critical Intelligence Unit and a group of subject matter experts, including representatives from the Intensive Care, Respiratory, Rehabilitation, COVID Care in the Community, Primary Care, Community Health and Palliative Care Communities of Practice. Input was also provided by pulmonary rehabilitation experts, Integrated Care and Allied Health.
• The document provides guidance to acute care clinicians in planning for and delivering care to patients with COVID-19 in the first three months post-diagnosis, as they transition from the acute care environment into the community. The goal is the patient's safe and appropriate discharge and transition of care to the primary care provider, with specialist follow-up as required. This supports improved patient outcomes and patient flow.
• A key focus of the model is clinical and functional assessment of a patient at each transition of care. This ensures patients are appropriately referred, for example to multidisciplinary rehabilitation services or pulmonary rehabilitation.
• Follow-up work is planned to assist clinicians in assessing and managing patients with ongoing post-acute COVID-19 symptoms.

NSW Realising Improvement in Stroke (RISE) program

• The NSW Realising Improvement in Stroke (RISE) program was established in January 2021. Data is collected on suspected stroke patients and displayed in the Quality Improvement Dashboard (QIDS) to provide peer benchmarking.
• The network and local health districts have worked together to submit RISE data for the World Stroke Organisation Angels Awards. The initiative provides hospitals with the opportunity to be recognised with a gold, platinum or diamond level award based on their key performance results. The awards are open to regional sites who participate in NSW RISE Program.
• The network worked with the World Stroke Organization to ensure the key performance indicators met all NSW Health data governance requirements.
• Congratulations to hospitals in Wagga Wagga, Shoalhaven and Orange for successfully achieving Gold Status in quarter two.

NSW Telestroke Service

• Telestroke has recently gone-live in Tamworth, Armidale and Moree. A map of the live sites is now available.
• The service recently reached the milestone of providing life-saving care to more than 1,000 regional NSW residents.
• The service has been selected as a Premier’s Awards finalist for Excellence in Digital Innovation. The Agency for Clinical Innovation has been heavily involved in the project, working closely with local sites and other implementation partners to roll the service out to up to 23 sites by June 2022.

Find out more and contact the Stroke Network.

• The transition palliative care resources are now available. The resources provide palliative care information and support to families, carers and clinicians as young people transition to adult health services.
• The Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Transition Working Group continue to collect information on IBD services in NSW and the transition experiences of clinicians and consumers (Survey now closed):
  • The data collected will help improve young people’s transition journey.
  • The surveys will be open until the end of November.
  • A transition booklet supporting young people with IBD has been drafted and is available to review on the network’s SharePoint site. Please send any feedback to ACI-TransitionCare@health.nsw.gov.au
• Following feedback from network members last year, the Transition Care Network’s executive has been updating the Key Principles for Transition:
  • The principles are for clinicians and managers working with young people as they transition to adult health services.
  • A draft can be found on the network’s SharePoint site. Share your feedback using comments and track changes and email ACI-TransitionCare@health.nsw.gov.au or complete the feedback survey.
  • Feedback is open until the end of December and a revised version will be circulated for final consultation in early 2022.
  • The document will become a digital resource (which can be printed, as required).
• The network recently held two webinars for teachers and support staff from public, Catholic, and independent schools:
  • Information was provided about transition support services and resources for students and families.
  • More than 35 people attended, who provided positive feedback about the sessions.
  • The network hopes to hold these sessions annually.

More about the Transition Care Network